Wild Irishman in London, The

DESCRIPTION: "I am a wild Irishman just come to town, To view the fine city of fame and renown." The English attack him, He fights off butcher and police and crowd with his shillelegh, and has a drink to rejoice. He wishes "Long life and success to Erin go Bragh."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1960 (MidwestFolklore); the other song on Shepherd's broadside is probably from the period of the American Civil War, and the FriskyIrishSongster rewrite is from 1862 or earlier
KEYWORDS: drink fight
FOUND IN: Britain(England)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
MidwestFolklore, Edith Fowke, "British Ballads in Ontario," Volume 13, Number 3 (Fall 1963/1964) p. 162, "The Wild Irishman" (1 text)
FriskyIrishSongster, pp. 7-8, "The Wild Irishman" (1 text)
ADDITIONAL: Leslie Shepard, _The Broadside Ballad_, Legacy Books, 1962, 1978, p. 159, "The Wild Irishman in London" (reproduction of a broadside page)
Roud #5085
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Duncan Campbell (Erin-Go-Bragh)" [Laws Q20] (theme of Irishman being abused and fighting back) and references there
NOTES [90 words]: The FriskyIrishSongster version of this begins, "When first I arrived in America's town, To view this fine city of fame and renown." It is clear that one version or the other of the song is a rewrite. Even though the FriskyIrishSongster version is older, I'm pretty sure the "London" text is the original, because it refers specifically to that city, while the FriskyIrishSongster has a vague construction that does not name an actual place. The two aren't really the same song, but I'm lumping them because the concept is so similar. - RBW
Last updated in version 7.0
File: BdTWIrL

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